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Meaning & use

god-gifted

adjective·Advanced

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UK/ˌɡɒd ˈɡɪftɪd/
US/ˌɡɑːd ˈɡɪftɪd/

Meanings

  1. adjectivenot comparable

    Having a natural ability or talent that people believe was given by God rather than learned.

    Grammar: Used before a noun or after verbs like be and seem: a god-gifted singer; she seems god-gifted.

    Patterns

    • a god-gifted person
    • god-gifted at something
    • be god-gifted with something

    Everyone at the school called him a god-gifted pianist, though he practiced for hours every day.

    She was described as god-gifted, as if her voice had arrived fully formed.

    The old story says the child was god-gifted with a memory for every song.

  2. adjectivenot comparableinformal

    Extremely talented in a way that seems impossible to explain or teach.

    Grammar: Often used in a looser, admiring way without any religious meaning: a god-gifted athlete.

    Patterns

    • a god-gifted talent
    • god-gifted at doing something

    The coach kept saying the young winger was god-gifted, but the boy just laughed.

    Critics treated her as a god-gifted talent who appeared from nowhere.

  3. adjectivenot comparablereligionliterary

    Given by God; coming from God as a blessing.

    Grammar: This sense describes a thing, not a person, and is mainly literary or religious: a god-gifted chance.

    Patterns

    • a god-gifted gift
    • god-gifted time

    They spoke of the harvest as god-gifted, something no farmer could earn.

    In the poem, the quiet evening is god-gifted and cannot be bought.

Common combinations

a god-gifted child
The villagers told stories about a god-gifted child who could sing before she could talk.
god-gifted talent
His god-gifted talent for numbers showed up long before any teacher noticed it.
god-gifted at something
She is god-gifted at languages and picks up a new one every year.
seem god-gifted
To the audience he seemed god-gifted, though he had trained for twenty years.
call someone god-gifted
People call him god-gifted, but he says it is simply hard work.

Synonyms and how they differ

gifted
The normal, neutral word for natural ability; it says nothing about God, so it fits formal writing better.
talented
Weaker and more general than god-gifted, and it can describe skills that were clearly developed through practice.
God-given
Very close in meaning but used mainly for rights, duties or chances rather than for a person's skill.

Opposites

untalentedordinary

Word family

gift noun
Something given to someone, or a natural ability.
gifted adjective
Having unusually strong natural ability.
giftedness noun
The quality of having great natural ability.

Commonly confused: god-gifted or God-fearing? god-gifted or godlike?

god-gifted vs God-fearing

This means deeply religious and respectful of God, not talented; the two are easy to mix up because both begin with God-.

god-gifted vs godlike

Godlike means looking or acting like a god, while god-gifted is about ability that seems to be a gift.

Practice

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